WATCH: Upper East Sider Stephanie Ruhle Takes Offense at Joe Biden’s ‘Scranton vs. Park Avenue’ Messaging

Colby HallSep 18th, 2020, 2:09 pm
 

During Thursday night’s CNN Town Hall, former Vice President Joe Biden aimed to draw a clear distinction between himself and President Donald Trump by comparing the towns they ostensibly come from. “I view this as a campaign between Scranton and Park Avenue,” said Biden, drawing a contrast between the industrial hometown in which he was born, and Trump’s famously lavish Manhattan lifestyle.

“All that President Trump could see from Park Avenue is Wall Street. All he thinks about is the stock market,” said Biden. “How many of you all own stock in Scranton? Not a whole lot of people own stock.”

For those blissfully unfamiliar with Manhattan real estate tropes, Park Avenue is a central artery through Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Its residents are comprised largely of hedge fund billionaires, corporate lawyers, trust fund internationalists, and yes, the occasional media mogul or on-air personality. Think Eva Gabor’s character in Green Acres and you have a sense.

This class distinction designed to connect the Democratic presidential nominee with working and middle-class voters did not go over particularly well, however, with a chattering class of pundits, many of whom happen to live near Park Avenue themselves.

Take, for example, MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, who put on her community mom persona and hit back at what seemed to be a shot at her stomping grounds. “Why is he going with this divide and conquer approach? That’s Trump’s thing,” she noted.”What about a message for all Americans?”

She then added “I don’t live on Park Avenue, but I live pretty close to it. And you know how I got there? Working my butt off. He doesn’t want my vote?”

It wasn’t just Ruhle. HBO Real Sports correspondent Soledad O’Brien made a similar point in response to a Biden campaign tweet promoting the candidate’s comment:

O’Brien received some derision for her comment, but her point is supported in part by Biden’s past unifying rhetoric that belies his Scranton vs Park Avenue construct. For example:

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Colby Hall - Founding Editor

Colby Hall is the Founding Editor of Mediaite.com. He is also a Peabody Award-winning television producer of non-fiction narrative programming as well as a terrific dancer and preparer of grilled meats.